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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · rule · racket · prune · date · face · cell · dip

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cell — a phone
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — to wash
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rule — government
  15. prune — to trim
  16. dip — to sink
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. shower — rain
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rule — a law
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com